


Fishers of Men

by Geonn



Category: Firefly
Genre: Fishing, Gen, Heist, Humor, Post-Series Pre-Movie, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-29
Updated: 2011-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-24 04:01:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/258759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geonn/pseuds/Geonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaylee, River and Zoe come to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fishers of Men

_Happiest day of my life was the day the cap'n got arrested. Oh! Shoot. That didn't sound right at all, did it? I don't mean I was happy that he 'n Jayne and the others... can I start over? Cap'n would never let me hear the end of it if he found out I started that way. Not that he'd ever hear this. I mean, why would he? Okay, start over, Kaylee... What I meant to say was..._

To Kaylee's surprise, the day Malcolm Reynolds got arrested turned out to be not so bad after all. They arrived on New Melbourne on schedule, and Wash gracefully hooked them up to the massive scaffolding that rose from the sea. _Serenity_ hung from the iron framework like a Companion's dangly earring. Kaylee opened the cargo doors and stepped out, grabbing a low-hanging strap to keep from being swept out by the sea breeze. She'd never seen so much water in one single place. The horizon was hazy, and there was a fuzzy white line where the blue of the sky met the green-blue of the water. The shine of the sun off the waves was enough to hurt her eyes, but she couldn't stop looking.

A catwalk extended from their dock so the boys could have left on foot, but Mal chose to use the Mule. Kaylee thought he just liked showing off his new toy, and who could blame him? The take off selling the Lassiter had turned the ship into a respectable place to live and work, and they still had enough left over to buy a new Mule. She reluctantly tore herself away from the view and went back into the cargo bay where Simon and Jayne were loading up the Mule.

"You sure you wanna go?" she asked as she sidled up to Simon, hands in the back pockets of her jumpsuit. "Could be dangerous."

Jayne snorted and smiled knowingly at Kaylee as he loaded some more bullets into the back of the Mule's hold. "You worried he's gonna get fish smell all over that sweet vest of his?"

Kaylee wrinkled her nose. "You never know. What if the stuff you're going to trade isn't, you know, enough?"

"It'll be enough." Mal came down the stairs to join them, Wash a few steps behind him. Zoe had come down from the cockpit as well, but she stayed on the upper level to watch them prepare the Mule. "These guys got so much fishes lying around, they'd trade us for empty boxes to haul them away. People on Paquin, on the other hand, are starving for a nice little filet. We play middleman, plus we get the warm fuzzies for knowing we provided much needed medicine to these fishers."

Simon finished loading the medicine and turned to Kaylee. He lowered his voice. "Can you keep an eye on River?"

"Sure."

"It's not that I don't trust Zoe, but--"

"I understand. I'll keep an eye on 'er. Don't you fret. She'll be snug as a bug."

Simon smiled and touched her arm before he climbed onto the Mule. Kaylee covered the spot he'd touched with her own hand, sure that she could feel the skin tingling under the shirt. She turned away just in case she was blushing. She and Wash brushed past each other as he hurried to take the driver's seat of the Mule. He rubbed his hands together and eyed the controls. Mal had been promising to let him take her out for a spin since they got it, and they finally had a low-risk mission where _Serenity_ would be safely docked the entire time.

Mal sat next to Wash, while Simon and Jayne uncomfortably shared the raised backseat. Simon put on a pair of goggles and an old leather cap that Mal had told him would protect his hair from the wind. Looking at him, Kaylee was certain it was just the captain having a little laugh at the dandy. Simon turned his buggy eyes up to her and gave a thumbs-up, and Kaylee couldn't help laughing as she returned the gesture.

"Take care of my ship, Zoe!" Mal said as the Mule lifted off the ground.

"I'll consider it an investment." She rubbed the railing. "Once you die your inevitable fiery death, this ship will be all mine."

"I'm going to be buried in it!" Mal's voice faded as Wash guided them out of the cargo bay and out over the ocean.

Kaylee joined Zoe on the landing. "So, uh..." She looked around nervously. "You actually seen River since we landed?"

 _You'll, um, take out that part about the touchin' and the blushin' right? I mean, I don't mind it bein' in there, but I don't want people to think it's... you know. I don't want anyone getting' the wrong idea about me and Simon. Strictly professional, that's us. Oh, shut up. Anyway. Uh. Zoe and I found River in the kitchen. She was standing on the table and trying to see through the windows out at the water. So Zoe and I decided to give her a better look._

"You sure that'll hold?"

"Mm-hmm." Kaylee twisted to look back behind her. The stretchy cords that were hooked to their belts showed no signs of strain. She and Zoe were sitting on the sloped edge of the cargo bay door with their legs stretched out in front of them. River, on the other hand, was testing the limits of her safety cord by standing on the very edge of the ramp and peering down at the water.

Zoe and Kaylee each held a fishing rod, but neither had any real expectation of catching anything. Even if they did, they would toss it back. Captain and the others were going to bring back more than enough fish to make them sick of it before they ever reached Paquin. Not to mention the fact Kaylee would hate to see River's reaction to seeing a fish hooked and reeled in.

She was sure the cords would hold, but it still made her anxious to see River leaning like that. _Well, you see Simon, I did my best to make sure she was safe, but then she just kind of plummeted about a hundred feet into the water._ She cleared her throat. "River, why don't you come back from the edge a little? It's just as pretty from back here."

"We're in the middle."

Kaylee glanced at Zoe. "What's that, hon?"

"Middle. No air in space, no air under water. Things thrive without air, but the middle is just for us."

"Uh-huh. So much for ocean air clearing her head a little." It wasn't the most brilliant joke - or even a joke, really - but she expected at least a snort of acknowledgement from Zoe. She looked over and saw that Zoe was looking toward the harbormaster's office. A group of three men were making their way down the catwalk to the ship. Zoe's fishing rod was forgotten, and she got effortlessly to her feet.

"River, step back."

River complied without hesitation, responding more to Zoe's tone than what she said. Kaylee managed to get up as well. "What's going on?"

"Don't know yet. Might want to take her somewhere safe. Out of the ricochet zone."

Kaylee went cold as she ushered River back into the ship. She unhooked their safety cords and got behind a strut Mal had specifically put in as a potential foxhole. The men approached the ship and Zoe confronted them with her hands on her hips. Casual, but no-nonsense.

"This your ship? The _Serendipity_?"

"Your close, on both counts. What can I help you gentlemen with?"

"Can help by handin' over one of your passengers." The men produced guns, and Zoe did the same. She held a gun in each hand, one on each of the two men on the edges of the group and leaving the man in the middle uncovered. He aimed a double-barreled shotgun at Zoe. "We already got her brother. We'd just hate to be responsible for breakin' up a family."

Kaylee had picked up her fishing rod without thinking, but now she thought it might come in handy. She unreeled enough line to reach the trio of kidnappers, grateful they had enough on the reel to reach the far-away water. She bit her bottom lip as she motioned for River to move back out of the way, and she swung the rod sideways. The fishing line shot out like a whip. She could see the hook only because she was watching for it, and she pulled just as it reached Man Number Three.

He cried out in pain and surprise as the hook sank into his arm, and the other two men swung toward him to see what had happened. Zoe took advantage of the distraction and lashed out with her foot. She caught the ringleader in the middle of the chest, knocking him off-balance. He went reeling toward the edge of the catwalk. His friends had to focus on saving him, so they didn't react when Zoe retreated.

River hit the button to raise the ramp and Zoe hit the ground to avoid any gunfire. She eyed Kaylee and said, "Good work. Cap would have my hide if he knew I let you do that."

Kaylee followed Zoe to the bridge, their boots clanging on the metal as they raced to take off. "Where are we going?" Kaylee asked.

"Not far 'less I can figure out these controls."

Kaylee looked at one of the overhead displays. "Not far anyway. They ain't gonna let us off the dock. We've got a restricted access."

"I was afraid of that. Guy I kicked off the catwalk was kind of wearing a sheriff's badge."

Kaylee groaned. "'Course he was. I don't suppose Wash showed you any way to get around that lock."

"Never got around to that, if he even knew how. The shuttle..."

Before she could finish her plan, River slid into the copilot's station. Her hands danced over the controls, fingers poking and sliding over the screens before she turned her face expectantly toward the front glass. Kaylee moved to stop her, but Zoe put a hand on her arm. The ship lurched, and River grabbed the controls. They were released, and River managed to get the engines burning hot enough to keep them from plummeting into the waves below.

"How'd she learn to do that?" Kaylee whispered.

"How'd she learn to do half the stuff she knows how to do?"

Kaylee gulped. "We should tell the Captain when he gets back."

"Yes, let's tell Captain Reynolds that not only is she a dead shot, but she can take the ship away from him whenever she wants. You really want to give him another reason to kick her off this ship? And her brother with her?" Zoe didn't let the question hang, saving Kaylee from feeling too guilty. "We'll just tell him I faked my way through it, and we'll keep an eye on her in the meantime."

Kaylee nodded.

The towns of New Melbourne stood on tall platforms above the waves, balanced on trellises of metal and connected by long bridges that formed spider webs. River swept over the water and aimed toward the nearest town. Kaylee held on tight to the back of Zoe's seat. "How are we supposed to find them?"

"The sheriff is probably holding them at his jail. And to find that, we use the Mule's tracking beacon." She pointed to a red dot on the screen, and Kaylee turned to see that River was already homing in on it. "Kaylee, you may wanna head back--"

"Right." Kaylee left the cockpit and ran back through the belly of the ship. She punched a button to lower the ramp again, buffeted by the winds that roared inside and threatened to yank her off her feet. She hooked up her rescue cord again and let her boots slide across the floor. She had an intense feeling of vertigo as she was about to be pulled completely out of the ship, and she braced herself against a strut to abort her fall.

The ship swung around and Kaylee held her breath to settle her queasy stomach.

 _Let's, um, just leave it at that. We can pretend that it was just really turbulent, but that I didn't... all over the, um... you can just imagine I had a stronger stomach, right? That part ain't important to the story anyway..._

Bullets pinged off the metal and Kaylee yelped in surprise and fear. The movement of the ship pressed her against the wall and she held on tight. The bullets looked like bees that had been caught in the updraft, but she knew for a fact that she didn't want to feel their sting again.

They buzzed by the jail a few times before Kaylee managed to get the bungee cord that had held Zoe in place off the wall. She dangled it out the back of the ship and watched as it swung and slapped against the side of the jail. "Come on!" Her words were whipped away from her by the wind. Suddenly the rope went taut and nearly pulled Kaylee out of the ship. She rapidly got it hooked to an eyelet in the wall.

When the ship pulled away from the jail again, Kaylee heard a crash and clatter as a brick wall went crashing down. The ship suddenly ascended, and the wind resistance lessened enough that Kaylee was able to move closer to the ramp and peer down. The other end of the bungee cord had been wrapped around the bars of a jail cell window, and they were trailing a wide plug of the wall behind them.

She saw Simon ( _and the others were there, too... I should mention that. It's not like Simon was my only focus... I should have left that out..._ ) run from the prison, ducking as Captain Reynolds and Jayne tossed bricks at the deputies trying to stop them. Wash picked his way across the building's wreckage and stepped on the front of the Mule before jumping into the seat.

 _Serenity_ angled away from the town, heading out toward the water. Kaylee disconnected the bungee cord and let it snake out of the ship, dropping into the water with its load of bricks and iron bars. She heard it splash as she closed the ramp. Her hands shook as she untied the bungee cord around her waist. She calmed her mind, convinced herself it was safe, but she still clung to the railing all the way back to the cockpit. Zoe was talking to Wash over the radio.

"...up with you at the processing center."

"Sounds good, if the smell doesn't kill us. That was some good flying, baby."

"Never know what someone can pick up just by watching," Zoe said, looking over at River. She turned to Kaylee, who offered her a thumbs-up. "Everybody up here is a hundred percent. How are things down there?"

"Jayne bumped his head, and the rest of us have to listen to his whining. It's debatable who has it worse. We have to do some evasive flying to get away from these police, but we'll find ya in due time."

"See you soon, husband," Zoe said. "I want you to know that, while you were locked up? I waited for you."

"Music to my ears, wife."

Kaylee joined Zoe in Wash's station and looked out the window. The processing center loomed ahead, and Kaylee knew that the boys in the Mule would be overcome by the smell. She focused on the water again, the waves that were formed by their passage and smacking against the side of the processing center and the struts of the bridge.

"I just love the water. Don't you, Zoe?"

Zoe actually smiled. "Never see enough of it."

"It's too bad the law got on us. I was kind of hoping to take a dip."

Zoe was quiet for a long moment and checked the screen. "We've got a while before they shake their tail enough to catch up."

Kaylee glanced over at her. "What does that mean?"

#

The door of the ship slowly dropped open. Seconds later, Kaylee - wearing only a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt, came running barefoot out of the cargo bay. She whooped as she reached the edge, bouncing off her toes to arc through the air. She tucked her knees against her chest and squeezed her eyes shut as she hit the water.

 _When the boys came back, they pulled me outta the water and I was standing there shiverin' and squirming back into my jumpsuit even though I was drenched to the bone. Cap'n was telling Zoe about how it had all been a scam to get us to New Melbourne to collect the ransom on Simon and River. No fishes for Paquin, which really threw a wrench into our plans. And Zoe did what she promised; we didn't give away that River knew how to fly the ship. We just kind of made a pact to keep her out of the cockpit._

 _But what really made it the best day wasn't the fact we got to save the boys all on our own, or seein' all that water and actually gettin' to swim in it. What really made it great was that when I zipped up my jumpsuit and turned around, I caught Simon lookin' at me. He looked away really quick-like, but a girl can tell when a guy's been peeping her. I guess maybe I got something he liked, else he wouldn't have been blushin' that way._

 _So that's what's been goin' on here. Never a dull moment. Still, we miss you around here. Hope to see you soon, and love to your students. Come by for a visit sometime. Maybe I'll take you for a swim. Bye, 'Nara. Stay safe._

 _Kaylee Frye, out._


End file.
